Real-time degradation of methylene blue using bio-inspired superhydrophobic PDMS tube coated with Ta-ZnO composite

Dyes are widely used in a variety of industrial applications for aesthetical purpose as well as to provide the color of their products. Huge amount of dye-containing wastewater is released after their processing, posing a risk of environmental contamination. This has prompted the development of low-cost, highly reliable, and long-term technologies for effluent remediation. In this work, the synthesized tantalum (Ta)-doped Zinc oxide (ZnO) composite coated over the bioinspired polymeric platform has been reported for the decolouration of methylene blue (MB) dye when exposed to UV light. These structures were carefully investigated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and a contact angle (CA) goniometer. The contact angle results show the contact angle of 108˚ for pure polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and 168˚ for bio-inspired PDMS with Ta-doped ZnO composite leading to a superhydrophobic surface. This superhydrophobic bio-inspired polymeric platform was modified by optimizing the surface roughness and coating it with low-surface-energy Ta-ZnO NWs composites, paving the way for it to be envisioned in "self-cleaning" water treatment facilities. When exposed to UV light, the MB dye degradation time was reduced from 150 mins to 105 mins, indicating that the synthesized Ta-doped ZnO NWs composite is more effective than ZnO. These photocatalysts lead to "waste control using Ta-ZnO NWs composites," which opens up new possibilities for flexible and biocompatible environmental remediation platforms. In this study, real-time MB dye degradation is also monitored using the Internet of things (IoT) technique by integrating a NodeMCU microcontroller board as a control center and a pH sensor as a tool for detecting the change in pH value of the MB dye under UV light exposure

Effect of planting geometry and training on growth and seed yield of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of planting geometry and training on growth and seed yield of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) using cultivar Solan Lalima during Kharif 2013 at Experimental Farm of Department of Seed Science and Technology, Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan (H.P.). The treatments comprised of four training levels i.e. Y1 (single stem), Y2 (double stem), Y3 (unpruned with horizontal string) and Y4 (unpruned bush stakes (control)) and eight plant densities viz. S1 (60×15 cm), S2 (60+30×15 cm), S3 (60×30 cm), S4 (60+30×30 cm), S5 (90×15 cm), S6 (90+30×15 cm), S7 (90×30 cm) and S8 (90+30×30 cm). Analysis of variance showed that the treatment combination Y1S7 (single stem and plant spaced at 90×30 cm) resulted in maximum ripe fruit length and width (5.86 cm and 5.06 cm, respectively), maximum number of seeds/fruit (110.67), minimum days to ripe fruit harvest (71.00) and maximum harvest duration (59.84 days) but gave the low seed yield. The combination Y2S5 (double stem and 90×15 cm) resulted highest seed yield i.e. 519.71 kg per hectare. Therefore, planting density S5 (90x15 cm) in combination with training system Y2 (double stem) may be recommended for commercial seed production of tomato

Sensing performance of room temperature operated MEMS gas sensor for ppb level detection of hydrogen sulfide: A review

The presence of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) determines the air quality of both indoor and outdoor environments. To measure H2S concentration levels in the environment, a variety of sensors have been developed. Metal oxide (MOx) based gas sensors are among the most interesting class of MEMS sensors, capable of producing highly sensitive, selective, and specific signals in a plethora of chemical and physical signals. Nonetheless, in the presence of moisture, they have poor selectivity and response. However, sensing performance of MOx towards H2S gas is previously reported in number of studies. Nanotechnology advancements are expected to lead to the progress of highly sensitive, stable, and selective MOx-based H2S gas sensors in the future. This review article aims at enlightening the various aspects of H2S gas sensing technology in an unpretentious yet comprehensive manner

Real-time degradation of Methylene Blue dye using bio-inspired superhydrophobic PDMS tube with Ta-ZnO composite

Dyes are widely used in a variety of industrial applications for aesthetical purpose as well as to provide the color of their products. Huge amount of dye-containing wastewater is released after their processing, posing a risk of environmental contamination. This has prompted the development of low-cost, highly reliable, and long-term technologies for effluent remediation. In this work, the synthesized tantalum (Ta)-doped Zinc oxide (ZnO) composite coated over the bioinspired polymeric platform has been reported for the decolouration of methylene blue (MB) dye when exposed to UV light. These structures were carefully investigated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and a contact angle (CA) goniometer. The contact angle results show the contact angle of 108˚ for pure polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and 168˚ for bio-inspired PDMS with Ta-doped ZnO composite leading to a superhydrophobic surface. This superhydrophobic bio-inspired polymeric platform was modified by optimizing the surface roughness and coating it with low-surface-energy Ta-ZnO NWs composites, paving the way for it to be envisioned in "self-cleaning" water treatment facilities. When exposed to UV light, the MB dye degradation time was reduced from 150 mins to 105 mins, indicating that the synthesized Ta-doped ZnO NWs composite is more effective than ZnO. These photocatalysts lead to "waste control using Ta-ZnO NWs composites," which opens up new possibilities for flexible and biocompatible environmental remediation platforms. In this study, real-time MB dye degradation is also monitored using the Internet of things (IoT) technique by integrating a NodeMCU microcontroller board as a control center and a pH sensor as a tool for detecting the change in pH value of the MB dye under UV light exposure

Nature inspired Ficus Religiosa leaf mesh coated with antibacterial ZnO/PANi@PMMA nanocomposite for separation and water purification

In this article, we fabricate a nature inspired Ficus religiosa leaf mesh with a micro/nano hierarchical structure utilizing the ZnO/PANi@PMMA nanocomposite having exceptional hydrophobic and oleophilic characteristics, with a water contact angle of ∼130° and an oil contact angle of ∼2°, respectively. Different oil/water mixtures were subsequently separated using the mesh, and after 8 cycles, the separation efficiency was ∼96.86 ± 0.8% for gasoline. In contrast, the reported mesh carries antibacterial properties and has successfully degraded the methylene orange (MO) dye solution in 140 min with ∼91% efficiency in the presence of sunlight, envisioning its potential use in water purification applications

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Socio-Economic Importance and Potential of Wild Ayurvedic Medicinal Plants of the Western Himalayas, India

India's Ayurvedic medicine system is becoming popular worldwide because these medicines are based on natural herbal products and have no side effects on health; somewhat, it improves and strengthens the body's immunity. Today people’s awareness is increasing about health, the side effects of allopathy medicines on health, and their inclination and faith toward Ayurvedic treatments are railing with time. Ayurvedic medicine system is based on traditional herbal knowledge, identification of herbs in natural habitats, and formulations. The present study involves the survey and analysis of local healers of Shivalik hill in the Western Himalayas to discover the most used herbs and their economic potential from national and international market perspectives. Therefore, a survey and analysis were conducted in randomly selected 37 villages of six development blocks. The survey interviewed 195 local healers and people based on the scientifically designed questionnaire. During the 2019-2022, the thirty-one wild medicinal plant species were identified with, highlighting ten highly valued plants. These plants have high demand from local healers, vendors, or the pharma industry. Further analysis of the importance and value of each part of the plant shows this: leaves (15%), flowers (13%), roots (21%), seeds (27%), oil (2%), wood (4%), juice (11%), tuber (4%) and whole plant (4%). Study shows that local healers can. This study also emphasizes the cultivation of these herbal plants on a large scale and can potentially raise the financial status of local people and healers. The study highlights the potential of these herbal plants found in the study area to enhance rural livelihood and community resilience and calls for the integration of medicinal plants in conservation and development strategies

Recent trends of silicon elastomer-based nanocomposites and their sensing applications

This paper reviews the various fabrication methodologies explored for the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) based nanocomposites along with their applications in sensing and other domains. PDMS is well known for its biocompatibility, durability, transparency, and adoptability to any size and shape via replication technique. Envisioning its potential and prospects in flexible device realization, this review discusses various methods used by researchers to develop PDMS-based nanocomposites and approaches to improve their functional properties along with their associated applications. This review article aims to provide insights into the state-of-the-art work carried out in this province which will certainly be helpful for researchers of a similar field

Eosinophilic pancreatitis: a rare or unexplored disease entity?

Several case reports show accumulation of eosinophils in pancreatitis patients and term the disease as “eosinophilic pancreatitis (EP)”. EP usually presents with a pancreatic tumour and abdominal pain in obstructive jaundice, which is generally not diagnosed until the patient undergoes pancreatic resection. Histologically, EP reveals distinct patterns like diffused, periductal, acinar, and septal inflammatory infiltrates with eosinophils, eosinophilic phlebitis, and localised extreme eosinophilic infiltrates related with pseudocyst formation. EP patients also have elevated serum IgE levels with high eosinophil counts in the pancreas as well as in other organs such as the gastrointestinal tract, which is termed as eosinophilic gastroenteritis. Due to the lack of knowledge based on just a few case reports, it is considered that eosinophilic infiltration is quite rare in the pancreas; therefore, the significance of eosinophils in pancreatitis is not yet established. This review assesses the current understanding of eosinophilic pancreatitis and the important role of eosinophils in promoting pancreatic fibrosis including malignancy